Chapter 66: Chapter 66 – Late at night

He had told the owner that he would be leaving temporarily, returning in a couple of weeks. However, his reaction to seeing him was a bit strange. And it is that, although it only lasted a couple of seconds, the aforementioned looked at him as if he had just seen a ghost. As if Oscar was gone for life and he was completely taken by surprise to see him again.

But well, that was just the first and smallest sign that something was wrong. Though Oscar didn't find out until a while later.

The owner welcomed him again, with his usual hospitality, and Oscar proceeded to go upstairs to leave his things in his room. Ten minutes later, when coming down to the dining room, the second signal took place. Which was a little more durable and less subtle than the previous one: The relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant area was literally overshadowed by his presence.

Someone who wasn't sensitive to the changes around him probably wouldn't have noticed, since the diners who were there only looked up for a moment, to see when he entered the room. All those people were silenced for half a minute to finally pay attention to their dishes and table companions, gradually raising their voices. That looked like a scene from a crappy movie, for such an overreaction! It was curious because, while he walked through the tables looking for a free seat, the dialogues turned into whispers.

Oscar, who had spent months on the defensive trying to pick up the slightest killing intent, didn't need to look too closely to realize that some of them were still looking at him when he turned his back on them. And that, not content with observing, they were talking about him.

So what to do in this situation? Perhaps, in the case of most people, he would have opted for an early withdrawal. Going to the counter where he had been served and, in any case, asking for the food to be brought up to his room. But Oscar was not going to act like that. He had a vague idea why things happened, although he couldn't be one hundred percent sure who caused it. And he had no intention of letting this person ruin his return home.

So he ignored all those villagers and went to sit in his usual corner, waiting for his dinner to be brought. Since his mood did not seem to change at all, people soon stopped paying attention to him. The room became noisy again in a matter of minutes, indicating that they had gone on to talk about other topics that had nothing to do with him.

What the hell was going on? Even the owner when serving him and the waiter who brought him the food looked at him uneasily! The former even went so far as to tell him under his breath that no matter what happened, he was still a good customer of that house and if he felt uncomfortable in any way he could try to do something about it.

In short, everything was suspicious to the point of saying enough, pointing in a fairly specific direction. Direction that Oscar, at that moment, could not be less responsible for: he had not yet finished getting out of an entanglement, so he had no intention of worrying about another. Even less when he did not know exactly the cause or the details of it.

And he would have just sat there, in comfortable silence while he enjoyed his dinner and ignored the rest of the world, if not for someone who showed up at the door unexpectedly. Which, by the way, provoked a reaction similar to the one already seen by the diners, although much less brazen; despite the fact that they had been analyzing Oscar from afar and gossiping about him behind his back, with Albert they did not dare to go that far.

It seemed that even to harass people in that seedy novel there were classes.

“What are you doing here?” Oscar had asked, once Albert had made that awkward pilgrimage through the dining room to stand before him. “I thought you were staying at Thornfield.”

"There was a little hiccup with that." Pointing to a chair across from Oscar, he inquired. “Can I sit?”

“You can, of course. Did you even have time to eat dinner?”

“No, I was barely able to deliver my luggage to the service, so that they could take it up to my room, when the inconvenience arose. But I ´ve already ordered something from the owner, who also very kindly told me where you were.”

After saying this, the villain fell silent. If half an hour before he had seemed happy, now there was no trace of that euphoria. Of course he didn't seem angry either, but rather nervous, as he had rushed to venture into the inn with no plan in mind. Not even a couple of minutes later, when his plate was served, he seemed to be hungry.

And it wasn't just how Albert was psychologically now, it was why he had headed into the center of Snodland so late?

"Have you argued with your father?"

This was mere conjecture on Oscar's part, as he couldn't think of any other reason why Albert would suddenly choose to drop back into town at such an hour. And he must have hit the nail on the head, because he showed a puzzled expression before proceeding to confirm:

“That's how it is. But the reason is a bit...” Albert paused for a moment before continuing. “I don't know if I should talk about it here.”

"Do it, no one but me cares anyway." Noticing that there were a few diners at nearby tables glancing at them from time to time and whispering, or stopping their respective conversations to listen, he added in a voice loud enough for them to hear him clearly. “Well, I´m lying. It may also interest certain vermin without a social life. So tell what you think, you may even manage to entertain those poor bastards.”

Albert didn't understand why Oscar said that last thing until he noticed a few women give them one last disapproving look and a couple who had been listening intently moved to a farther table, perhaps having taken the hint.

"What about these people?" the villain muttered. “Do they already know?”

"Either that, or they have food poisoning so bad that what they inferred shot out of their stomachs and, instead of reaching their asses, it shit their brains." Seeing that Albert relaxed enough to at least smile at that joke, encouraged him. “But don't let those people bother you, you can tell me anything. If you don't want to speak in public, then we can go up to my room.”

"I-I don't think it's necessary," was what Albert said, although embarrassed as he was, it still took him a couple of minutes to compose himself and decide to proceed. “My father… He called me into his office as soon as I arrived. I thought it was for some urgent business matter, since he would never require my presence with such haste, just after arriving from a trip. But no, it had nothing to do with that. Apparently someone told him about…uh…certain relationship preferences of mine, and he didn't take it too well.”

This was news to Oscar. He knew that Albert wasn't one to express feelings often and yes, he could swallow whole that he hadn't told his relatives about that sort of thing. But what about old Northrop not taking it well enough to throw the son off his estate? That is, considering the time they were in, it didn't seem impossible, but it did seem a bit surprising. And it is that, the times in which Oscar had had contact with him, he had seemed an open-minded and easy-going person.

In other words, even though he might get angry over some hard-to-fix issue, he didn't come across as the kind of guy who would make a big deal out of it. After all, even at a time when such inclinations were taboo for most mortals, there were still some who would side with that minority. Despite the fact that it was only behind closed doors, to turn a blind eye to someone close.

"Wait, let's go by parts," Oscar began, fearing that he had inadvertently unleashed more chaos. “Does he know about us? And if so, who the hell told him?”

“According to what he said, he only found out about me… But I don't think that's the reality. People in these towns are quite adept at meddling in other people's lives, and if they spread a rumor like that, by putting the two together, anyone could figure out who I'm dating.” Taking a look at the people around, he added. “Looks like they already did, actually. Although I can only guess who came up with the story for my father, because he didn't want to confess it to me.”

Albert may not have wanted to mention his own conjectures out loud, but it was clear to Oscar that he was thinking of Madeleine. Who else could have reason to do such a vile thing? Furthermore, she was the only person to whom the villain was forced to confess his orientation to.

Oscar saw this, but he also had a likely suspect on his side. Hadn't Dianne told him, before the theatrical show, that she already had another plan in place for Madeleine to get rid of her unhealthy attachment to the villain? Didn't she mention that said plan could have him as collateral damage? Well, if so, what was happening now made sense! Because let's see, Thomas was already ruled out; despite the fact that he showed clear intentions to do evil in that sense, he could not have achieved that effect on the inhabitants of Snodland with such promptness.

Without a doubt, the thing was between Dianne and Madeleine.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Albert continued, though he wasn't the one to apologize. “As someone told my father about me, going so far as to insinuate something about our relationship, I had no choice but to tell him the truth. And when I did… Well, he got a little mad.”

"It had to be something serious for you to decide to leave Thornfield in a hurry," Oscar supposed, needless to say, he had never heard of a fight between the two generations of Northrops.

“We said some hurtful things to each other that we shouldn't have said: My father may seem like the most tolerant person on the planet, but if something affects him and goes against his ideals, he can become the most stubborn and uncompromising. And I… I didn't want to continue arguing, or spouting words against him that I might later regret. So, to avoid a greater evil, I decided to leave. I was going to go home when I was calmer, but somehow I ended up walking to town.”

"Somehow, huh?" Ignoring the other's rueful tone, he confirmed without an iota of fear. “Anyway, you have nothing to apologize for, your father would have known sooner or later. We just agreed that it wasn't the best way for him to find out.”

“It's amazing that you can be so calm after hearing about this. You could have problems at work, if your bosses confirm that the rumors are real. And that at least. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if the matter came into the hands of the authorities.”

“I am calm for two reasons: The first because, going back to what we had already talked about before, as much as people are given to talk, they have absolutely no proof that the rumors are true. The second and perhaps more important, because, since you have faced your father and right now you do not have clear ideas, at least one of the two should keep a cool head.”

Albert didn't say anything about it, but he gave a barely perceptible nod, a sign that he agreed.

This villain may not have been a violent person, but it was shown that despite his usual stoic attitude, he could be hot-blooded and act on impulse. Normal thing, on the other hand. All humans, even the most serious and expressionless, acted like this from time to time.

"I think this is a good time to tell you, in case you haven't already sensed it, that I don't care if your father knows about us," continued Oscar, who, although he had a certain fear of conflict, was not so much as to back down when the damage was already done. “So when you talk to him about it again, don't let him put you off talking about me that way. If you don't mind, I won't be less either.”

"That's going to bring us more problems." Albert sentenced this but, after hearing Oscar's last words, he no longer looked so discouraged. “If only we didn't live in such a small town, where people love to participate in the lives of the neighbors... Anyway, tomorrow I´ll have to talk to my father again. I will try to calm down and have a civil conversation with him.”

“That's a good resolution.”

"Will you talk to your uncles about this too?"

"I won't." Before the other could inquire further into that resolution, he hastened to add. “I don't see any point in doing it if they don't bring up the subject first, because whatever my decision is, it won't affect them. And, on the other hand, what they may or may not do if they confirm the rumors could affect me. So no thanks, I prefer to keep quiet.”

"I guess sometimes, even with family trust, it's hard to tell if they'd be able to accept certain things."

"I'd rather not risk it. First I´d like to see how the rumors have been taken; if I see that they are receptive, maybe I don't mind talking about it. If, on the other hand, I get the impression they won't take it well (which I think is more likely, on top of the Thomas thing), I'll deny everything if they mention it.”

“I think that's a most prudent attitude, given the circumstances. Perhaps, and despite the fact that there are no secrets between us, I shouldn't have been so quick to confess it to my father. After all, and regardless of the problems that can be triggered, there are only two people who should be interested in who we are dating. And those people are you and me.”

“Are you aware that, despite having opened our mouths to your father, we still have to continue with the theater of indifference to others? All is not lost and, as you say, it doesn't matter what facade we use in front of the rest, the important thing is what really exists. And it is not necessary for others to find out, it is enough for us to be clear about it.”

That had been the plan since they began to see each other as a real couple and not as simple neighbors of a lifetime. They were not going to shout to the four winds that they were leaving, but would continue with their usual discretion.

Oscar didn't think this was difficult because, well, apart from the fact that both himself and the villain were -in general- discreet people, who the hell would have enough free time to pay attention to the adventures of a couple of secondary characters without any relevance?

But it was clear that he was wrong.

"I hope the Stevens are more understanding about this than my father," Albert commented after a few moments. “You haven't been able to deliver his son's documents to them yet, so how will they react if you take them to them right now? If it's not handled well, and they even believe the rumors going around, they may think you've done worse than your cousin.”

"Are you trying to pass on your nervousness to me?"

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“Oh no! No, sorry. It is just that…”

“What will you do now?” Oscar asked, cutting off the villain's train of thought.

“Now?”

"Are you going back to Thornfield? You could rent a car to take you there, since doing the tour on foot at night is not very safe. Although," he added, "going back to the same house where you had an argument not even an hour ago shouldn't be very pleasant either. Not while you still haven't managed to calm down.”

"Perhaps I'll sleep here," Albert said. “All my things are already in Thornfield, but I suppose for one night nothing will happen. I'll go talk to the owner so he can rent me a room.”

"It's a good idea, although I have a better one," Oscar pointed out, preventing the other from getting to his feet. “Why don't you sleep in my room? There's plenty of space for both of us.”

"Are you sure I can…?"

The villain was interrupted, this time on his account. He must be at a crossroads; On the one hand, and judging by his expression, it was clear that he wanted to accept that offer. On the other hand, no matter how much Oscar said he was thinking with a cool head, Albert knew that he was not considering the magnitude of the consequences that acting on pure improvisation could bring to them.

Noticing that indecision, Oscar proceeded to specify:

“You don´t have to worry; I wouldn't propose it to you if I didn't know he was safe. Right now, in the wing where my bedroom is located, no one is staying.”

 Except for stupid Dianne, he thought. But in any case, if his guess was correct, he didn't think that woman was going to plan anything against them now that he had already achieved his main objective of getting the protagonists together.

"Rent a room anyway," he continued. “Moreover, do it as soon as possible. This way, while there are still this number of diners in the restaurant, you will ensure that more people will hear you, making it clear to them that you will not spend the night in concupiscence with me in any way.”

The idea wasn't bad, but having put it so grandly, Albert couldn't help but laugh.

No, if it was clear to the others that these people they suspected hadn't shared a room, nothing would happen. It's not like they were going to fix the mess, but at least they wouldn't make the situation any worse.

Therefore, Albert ended up accepting the proposal and, as soon as they finished their dinner, each one went up to their own room, but not before having made sure that both the clients that remained in the restaurant, as well as the staff that continued to serve the tables and attend at the reception desk, make sure they had no intention of continuing in each other's company.

They had even chosen different times to go upstairs, so that they would not even be seen together in the corridors! According to what they planned, they would meet in Oscar's room in an hour, when the lights had gone out and the whole building had fallen into an unbreakable silence.

The restaurant might have been packed with people, but to stay in the hostel and Snodland not being a popular place even with tourists from other parts of the shire, not many people decided to rent rooms. So the precautions taken so that no one saw them occupying the same room turned out to be a complete success.

'Perhaps it would have been better if I had gone back to Thornfield,' Albert repeated softly, at the appointed time, when he was already standing in the doorway of Oscar's room. I don't want to cause you problems with these people.

“Come on, come on, you haven't come so far as to back down now. Besides”—Oscar pointed to a door that was right next to the one that belonged to his bedroom—“the only person you should watch out for is a witch who lives right there. And it so happens that, I checked before coming up, she is not even present today. I think she must have gone to visit her parents' house or something.”

Albert knew immediately who she meant; although the few three or four times he had spoken to the girl she must not have seemed her great calamity either, he was already aware that she was the cause of some of the confusion with Thomas.

In any case, and having already entered Oscar's room, he realized that they had vilely lied to him.

What the hell was that about there being room to spare for one more? bullshit! Not only was the place tiny, to the point where one couldn't even stretch out one's legs without bumping into some furniture, there was only one bed. And individually, too! Could the occupant of this room really live comfortably like this...?

Of course, it's not like the room assigned to him was much better, but... Hell, the villain was only planning to stay one night! Well, the owner of the place could clean up a better place for a client who spent months in his inn.

“What's going on?” Oscar asked, visibly amused, seeing Albert's disbelieving expression. “Is it no longer possible to use any absurd excuse for you to stay?”

“This was, in short, very absurd.”

"But it was to be expected that a village inn would not have the same amenities as a London hotel. Haven't you been a bit naive to expect better? Or is it that you wanted so badly to believe that he was serious and thus have a reason to come?”

He said this because, despite everything, he had hardly put up any resistance when it came to allowing himself to be convinced.

"I-in any case, I'll sleep on the sofa," Albert decided, approaching the aforementioned chair and avoiding Oscar's gaze, who still hadn't stopped laughing. “The room is yours, it wouldn't be fair for me to keep the bed.”

“Oh, it's fine. The bed is a bit rough, but don't be fooled by appearances; I have seen worse cots in Lilac Hall itself, having to put up with tenants twice my size, and there was never an accident. So it would have to go very badly for it not to support the weight of the two of us.”

“Eh? Wait…”

But Oscar didn't wait, before Albert could protest more, he had already gone through some basic things that he should know if he was going to spend the night there. Things like where the toilets were, what time the staff got up to serve breakfast and other rules to keep in mind if you wanted to stay in that room living with him in peace and harmony.

Even after he was done with his health and safety instructions, there seemed to be no discussion of where exactly Albert would spend the night.

"You should try to calm down," Oscar had suggested, "it's not like I'm going to jump you in the middle of the night." I'm too tired for that,” After a few moments, he added with a mischievous smile. Or did you expect that to happen?

“Of course not! replied the villain, it was not known whether offended, embarrassed or both. I wasn't going to do anything either.”

“That's good, because even when no one is around, the walls have ears.

That finding was partly real and partly false. It was true that the walls were thin enough that a conversation made in a tone a little higher than usual, or any other movement too effusive, would be felt in the adjoining room. But nothing guaranteed that the residents of that floor were willing to spend minutes of their lives sticking their ears to the wall. It was certain, in fact, that they did not even know that there were two people about to go to bed in that room.

In any case, perhaps it was Oscar's actions rather than words that managed to make Albert relax enough to accept sharing a cot.

Because, although in all that time he had not stopped bothering her, he did seem to be serious when he said that he did not propose anything indecent. And it is that, when the time came, he was the first to lay down on the bed, making a place for him and inviting him to accompany him. Then, having made sure that his companion complied, he simply rolled over, intending to go to sleep.

Now what the fuck with that attitude? Was he nervous too?

Albert must have guessed that it was, because Oscar wouldn't have turned so quiet all of a sudden if he wasn't. He hadn't even turned to look at him, not once, as he walked over and took a seat on the edge of the mattress! And no, it wasn't that Oscar was already asleep; It would have been too soon, even though it was true that he was exhausted.

"How cold you are, huh," he was heard murmuring. “You don't even give me a goodnight kiss.”

That didn't sound like something someone who was really angry about the lack of affection would say, but like a confirmation that something was missing, without more. Not that Oscar expected anything anyway.

Oh well, he didn't expect it until that moment. Well, he soon noticed how someone, who could not be other than the villain, was getting too close to him. Finding himself facing the opposite side of the room, whatever Albert was planning he wouldn't have been able to see it unless he turned on the cot. And yes, that was what he did when he noticed how the mattress springs creaked, due to the new weight that it had to support.

Albert may have only meant to give Oscar a kiss on the cheek, but because Oscar had turned his head slightly at that precise moment, the villain's lips landed on his. Faced with this realization, and perhaps because unlike a couple of hours earlier there was no longer anything forcing them to hurry, neither of them moved away immediately.

What had just happened was not planned but, judging by Oscar's smile, it was obvious that it was equally welcome.

After wishing him good night, Albert turned off the only lamp that provided some light in the room, causing the place to immediately fall into a brief silence, interrupted by the sound of the sheets being moved. The villain went to bed too, making sure to arrange the blankets so that both of them would be well protected, in the warmth that they provided.

Oscar remained awake, but with his eyes closed and without moving an inch from his position. Since the bed was small, it was inevitable that the bodies would touch. And so, back to back, the two occupants of that room had to do their best to fall asleep.

He couldn't be convinced about Albert but, as far as himself was concerned, he took a long time to fall asleep. Perhaps it was because the bed was too small to allow one to maneuver too much, so he was forced to remain in a certain position so as not to make the other uncomfortable. Or, it could also be, that at that time all those new problems that had arisen because someone had spoken out began to come to mind.

Because let's see, it was one thing to act as if he wasn't afraid of anything, and another was for things to really be like that. And, in Oscar's case, despite the fact that he hadn't said anything before, he was somewhat anxious about what might happen from now on. He had been spared dying at the hands of the villain, he wasn't willing to let his existence come to an end because of some absurd social norms!

He had begun to think about Madeleine's choice of words when he found her, about the possibility that it had been Dianne and not her who had spread the rumors since before she left for Oxford with the villain, considering how to draw them out. His brain refused to take a break, one idea after another popping into his head.

The result of this was that he could not calm down until late at night. At which point he, he didn't know whether consciously or unconsciously, he felt Albert turn over in bed. And, without saying a word, he caught Oscar around the waist and dragged him into his embrace. This position was not uncomfortable, on the contrary, it provided a certain security to such an extent that Oscar did not even think of disengaging himself.

It wasn't because he was afraid of waking Albert, but because he felt good staying so close to the villain. So after that, it didn't take him even ten minutes to fall asleep.

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